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#0009 Wayward Pines

Writer's picture: AlexanderAlexander

Today, we’re going to take a closer look at one of my research books for The Visions of Bezek. I say “one,” but this is actually a series of books and a TV series.

There are three Wayward Pine books and a two season TV series. The books are called Pines, Wayward, and The Last Town. They’re written by Blake Crouch. The TV series is called Wayward Pines. According to the cover of Wayward and The Last Town, these are considered thrillers. To me, they’re more like small town mystery, but what do I know?


The TV series, which I experienced first, was a part of my inspiration for The Visions of Bezek. The first season is hard to put down. It does almost everything right. I’d give it an eight out of ten. The three books and the first season of the TV series cover the same material. Rather than quote the blurb from the back of the book, enjoy the image of it below.

If this doesn’t sound intriguing to you, then perhaps you’re unintriguable? That sounds like a personal problem. Either way, I highly recommend the first season of the TV series. I do not recommend the following season. It doesn't follow the book because the end of the books coincides with the end of the first season. Abby and I attempted to watch the second season.

We didn’t get very far. The story is just lacking.


The books are wonderful. In a way, I’m glad that I saw the TV series first, because I transposed those actors onto the book’s characters. It was a nice, brief break for my imagination. I was curious to see how this story I enjoyed translated from video to text. I wasn’t disappointed. There were some difference between the two and I have to admit that the books are better. The ending of the books provides a greater level of satisfaction. I’ve never understood why movies try to go in a different direction from the source materials.


With all that said, the books do feel a little stretched as a trilogy. I feel like it could have been contained in two books or fewer, but that didn’t hurt the joy I took in reading them. If you have a chance to read or watch Wayward Pines, do it. Don’t miss out.


What I liked best about the book and series was the mystery of the town. I don’t want to ruin anything, but there are a lot of strange things happening in town. This is something that I wanted to create in my town, in Bezek. I wanted it to be strange and mysterious. In the words of the Wayward Pines, “For every perfect little town, there’s something ugly underneath. No dream without the nightmare.”


If you’ve experienced Wayward Pines and enjoyed it, there’s a good chance you’ll like The Visions of Bezek. The towns give similar vibes, but the stories are vastly different.

If you’re interested in owning the Wayward Pines books, you’ll find my research copies for auction on eBay, starting at an extra low price and with a free ZanderverZ bookmark. If you get your bid in early enough, you’ll have a chance to get a great deal. The auction starts at 9PM central time, assuming I don’t get my time zones wrong again. Good luck!


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